Softball Drills – Reading Pitchers' Moves

Purpose: This drill teaches the basics of base running by having players develop visual concentration on a certain body part or idiosyncrasy of a pitcher.

Procedure: Players align in three lines of four and the lead players get into a stealing lead. Runners watch for a certain move (for example, head or shoulder movement) from the pitcher. The pitcher demonstrates certain pickoff moves and then throws to the plate so the baserunners can practice in gamelike conditions. The players shout as soon as they see the move and return to their "base" as they read the move.